Shanel Kamara 3/20/17 Shanel Kamara 3/20/17

Review: ēlDLIVE E.01

By Shanel Kamara

I had no idea that elDLIVE was by the same creator of Katekyo Hitman Reborn; Katekyo Hitman Reborn is a personal favorite of mine, and it’s definitely in my top three shonen series after Hunter x Hunter 2011 simply because of its great combination of humor and artwork. The show aired in 2006, and admittedly, this is the fourth of fifth time I have re-watched the entire series. Therefore, I just had to check elDLIVE out. Akira Amano was not only responsible for the production of Katekyo Hitman Reborn, but she also did the original character design of Psycho-Pass; I was unaware of this fact until recently.

Shanel Kamara 3/6/17 Shanel Kamara 3/6/17

Review: Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen E.09

By Shanel Kamara

Okay, now this is the reason why I adore this show, the reason is that whenever you think you know something it turns out that you know nothing. In other words, always expect the unexpected, which is still something I struggle to grapple with concerning this show.

Shanel Kamara 2/20/17 Shanel Kamara 2/20/17

Review: Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen E.07

By Shanel Kamara

It's official; I am completely hooked on Shouwa! I loved the unexpected twist this episode. I knew the death of Konatsu’s parents was a delicate matter that weighed heavily on the characters minds, particularly Konatsu who blamed Yakuma for the demise of her father and Yakumo who blamed himself for not being able to save Konatsu’s parents despite being in such close proximity to them. However, I never suspected that the truth regarding the manner in which they died was different to what actually happened.

Dustin Cabeal 2/16/17 Dustin Cabeal 2/16/17

Review: KonoSuba 2! E.06

By Dustin Cabeal

What I realized after writing my review for the fifth episode of KonoSuba and thinking about the sixth episode, is that this is a great transition episode. It doesn’t necessarily wrap up the last arc or start the next one, but it's buffering between the two while going back to a staple of the series. That said, there’s going to be spoilers ahead.

Dustin Cabeal 2/16/17 Dustin Cabeal 2/16/17

Review: Seiren E.01-04

By Dustin Cabeal

Initially, I wasn’t even sure I would review Seiren. Mostly because I watched the first two episodes back to back and still had no idea what the story was about when I was done. I kept watching and finished the first four episodes which are in a way a mini-series of their own. I say that because Seiren is, unfortunately, one of those shows you have to do research on which is the biggest problem with its story.

Dustin Cabeal 2/16/17 Dustin Cabeal 2/16/17

Review: KonoSuba 2! E.05

By Dustin Cabeal

This episode of KonoSuba 2 is fairly interesting in that it acts like the midpoint conclusion of the story. Everyone that watches a lot of anime knows what midpoint I’m referring to as there’s usually a shift in the story from that point on.

Shanel Kamara 2/6/17 Shanel Kamara 2/6/17

Review: Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen E.05

By Shanel Kamara

Oh My Gosh! that last scene in Shouwa featuring Yakumo and Sukerou had me on the edge of my seat; I wish the preview would not keep me in suspense regarding Yakumo. I have a love-hate relationship with cliffhangers. They stir up your anticipations but force you to accept the fact that you will have to wait to find out what happens next. I suppose in a way that is good, though because it means that the show is keeping you engaged. Lately, I have noticed that most of the shows I tend to prefer feature cliffhangers or plot twists. It may sound a tad cliche, but Shouwa is unlike any series I have previously watched.

Dustin Cabeal 2/3/17 Dustin Cabeal 2/3/17

Review: KonoSuba 2! E.04

By Dustin Cabeal

Okay… this is probably the funniest episode of the season, and I hate to say it, but it’s because of Darkness. As much as I find her gimmick hilarious, I just never liked Kazuma’s interaction with her. Not in the way I enjoy him and Aqua, who act like best friends or he and Megumin who have a brother-sister type bond. Darkness is a pervert… I suppose that’s how they bond.

Dustin Cabeal 1/30/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/30/17

Review: Interviews With Monster Girls E.03

By Dustin Cabeal

And there it is. This show is well done, but at the end of the day, it’s ecchi or harem or whatever fucking classification you want to use. The teacher is collecting love interests and this episode it’s the Succubus.

Dustin Cabeal 1/30/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/30/17

Review: KonoSuba 2! E.03

By Dustin Cabeal

I really do enjoy this show which might be the reason I stop reviewing it. When I watch it, it turns off my brain. I don’t analyze it to death because I’m enjoying it so much. When I watch it, I don’t think of things like, “hey this episode felt a lot like an episode from last season” or “good for them for getting back to character relationships.” Instead, I’m just laughing my ass off and loving every minute of it.

Dustin Cabeal 1/26/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/26/17

Review: Chaos;Child E.01

By Dustin Cabeal

What the fuck is up with shows having a “semi-colon” in the title? Grammatically, that doesn’t make any sense, and as a reviewer, it’s annoying. If I had known what Chaos;Child was about I would never have watched in the first place; I struggled through it so that I could write a review that had some level of competency.

Dustin Cabeal 1/26/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/26/17

Review: Youjo Senki E.01

By Dustin Cabeal

There’s a much longer conversation to have about Japanese animation and its enjoyment of using World War II German in stories. That place isn’t here, but I don’t personally like when stories create alternate worlds in which World War II Germany isn’t the bad guy. I don’t buy it. I don’t care if it’s a story and fantasy and whatever excuse that you want to make to justify it to yourself, but for me, it’s dangerous and irresponsible. Don’t rewrite the history books for the sake of fantasy.

Dustin Cabeal 1/26/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/26/17

Review: Fuuka E.04

By Dustin Cabeal

Yeah, I’m done reviewing this show. This episode’s pacing is deliberately slow. It lingers to the point of being annoying, and it’s all to build the love triangle. Which spoiler, doesn’t fucking matter in the end. The love triangle is a façade, and so it’s even more perplexing that they’re focusing on it so much. Unless they plan to ignore the biggest event of the series, which if they do will ruin the point of the show.

Shanel Kamara 1/23/17 Shanel Kamara 1/23/17

Review: Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi E.03

By Shanel Kamara

Before I delve into the review of this week’s episode of Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, I would advise anyone who has not watched the previous season or the last two episodes, to watch them. This review will not contain any real spoilers, but in order to grasp what is going on, you need some knowledge of who the characters are and how they relate to one another. For instance, even though Yotarou is married to Konatsu, he insists on calling her “sis.” They are, in no way, related to one another. Moreover, they are not childhood friends. I could go into a lot of detail about how these two met and so forth, but I will leave it to anyone who is interested in catching up by watching previous episodes.

Robert Ramos 1/20/17 Robert Ramos 1/20/17

Review: Gintama. (2017) E.01 & 02

By Robert Ramos

Going into this new season* of Gintama, I never had any intention of writing reviews for it. As it is, I’m sure you guys are sick and tired of me mentioning it all the time, too. Well, after watching the recent two episodes, I felt inspired and just had to share with you guys, once more, the joy that is Gintama.

Dustin Cabeal 1/20/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/20/17

Review: KonoSuba 2! E.02

By Dustin Cabeal

While I enjoyed the first episode, it was not without its share of problems. Most of those problems are back with the second episode, but the show is feeling more like it’s old self now.

Dustin Cabeal 1/20/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/20/17

Review: Akiba’s Trip: The Animation E.02 & 03

By Dustin Cabeal

I’ll say one thing about this anime season; there’s a lot of shows I want to check out and by the time I review an episode I seem to already be behind on reviewing the next one. We’re doubling up again today, but this show is getting two scores at the bottom because I have complex feelings about things.

Dustin Cabeal 1/20/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/20/17

Review: Masamune-kun no Revenge E.01 & 02

By Dustin Cabeal

I gave this show a shot, and I wish I hadn’t. There were two shows that I was already familiar with from the manga counterpart. The first was Fuuka which has been disappointing and this, Masamune-kun no Revenge which at least wasn’t surprisingly disappointing.

Dustin Cabeal 1/19/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/19/17

Review: Hand Shakers E.01

By Dustin Cabeal

The title alone was enough to make wonder if I should bother watching this anime. I mean “Hand Shakers” … it’s not that the concept of hand holding is lost on me. For the record, “Hand Holders” is an accurate title for this anime. I was once young and appreciated the intimacy of holding hands. It’s something that is lost on you as you get older and have more, wait for it, hands on time with the activity. Still, I can see how teenagers desperate for affection and unable to just push their tongues against each other would give a crap about holding hands. Not me, but the youth, right? A random stranger could come up and hold my hand right now, and I would give zero fucks… until my germaphobia kicked in and I scrubbed my hand the rest of the day.

Dustin Cabeal 1/19/17 Dustin Cabeal 1/19/17

Review: Interviews With Monster Girls E.02

By Dustin Cabeal

This series got a bit better with this episode, but it also confirmed my fears about the show. It’s a harem comedy for sure, but the concerning issue is that it’s about an older male teacher and three students. That’s probably the one thing I don’t like about it, the romantic aspect.